


that breathless charm

by caughtinkhanded



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, based on CA:TWS, you know that one scene with Steve and Peggy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5136047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caughtinkhanded/pseuds/caughtinkhanded
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death was no stranger to Carmilla, but this was so much worse. She had to watch, helplessly, as Laura lost herself time and time again. And all she could do was hold her hand and say that she would love her. </p><p>Forever and always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	that breathless charm

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight"

Carmilla slid into the room; a visitor’s pass clutched in her hand, the stiff plastic cutting into her palm. The soft whir of machines filled the room, humming and chirping merrily. 

Carmilla settled down into her usual chair, wincing slightly at the rough fabric. She yanked a book out of her bag with a glare. Carmilla tried to focus on the pages as a monitor beeped quietly next to her. 

There was a soft knock on the door and a nurse came in, smiling at Carmilla. “Hey there,” Carmilla nodded towards her in greeting. 

“How is she?” 

“She seems like she’s better at times. Sometimes she lucid nearly all day, but then other days, it seems like she might not recognize herself. It’s been really hard on her family, but then again these sorts of things always are.” Carmilla made a non-committal noise in response. “Say, how do you know Laura?” 

Carmilla set her book down, “Oh, uh, my grandmother was a close friend of hers and I spent a lot of time with Laura years ago.” The lies fell from her tongue far more naturally than Laura would’ve liked, and Carmilla’s heart thudded at the thought.

“Oh, so are you one of the redhead’s grandkids?” 

Carmilla nearly had to pinch herself to stop from laughing. Her? Related to one of the Scooby Gang? As if. “No, I’m afraid not. But they were also close friends of my grandmother’s.” 

“What was her name? I mean, your grandmother’s?” 

“Carmilla.” She had never changed her name after Laura. Of course, she changed it on her passport and legal documents, but in her heart, Carmilla was her name just as much as Mircalla was. It always took her a few years to adjust to changing her name, but three hundred years of practice tend to help with that. 

“And what was yours, my dear?” 

“Mircalla,” 

“That’s unusual. Well, I’ll leave you to your reading. If there are any issues, don’t hesitate to call me.” The nurse shot a friendly smile at Carmilla as she left the room. 

Carmilla’s eyes dropped back down to her book, trying to absorb the words she had read many times before. She reached a hand out and grasped one of Laura’s hands gently, just relishing in the feel of her skin. It still felt so wondrously familiar and filled her with memories of happier times.   
“Carm?” A tired voice, so unlike the one that had said: “Excuse me, but who the hell are you?”, said softly. 

“Hey cupcake,” Carmilla worked to keep her voice steady. She had seen so much death and pain in her many years, but it always broke her heart to see Laura, her strong, brave, stubborn Laura, like this. “How’s it going, cutie?” Carmilla let out an internal sigh: Laura was lucid today and remembered the past few years as Carmilla had returned. 

“I’ve been better,” Laura let out a weak cough. Carmilla pushed her chair closer to Laura’s bed, squeezing Laura’s hand softly. 

“I know I say it every time, but I’m so sorry I left, Laura. But it was for your own good, as well as my own selfish reasons. I couldn’t watch you age without me. I just couldn’t do it.” 

“Carm, please, stop. I don’t need your apologies. I just want you. Here, with me. Don’t worry about me.” 

“I know, you’ve lived a good life,” Carmilla’s eyes darted towards the pictures of Laura with her two adopted children and subsequent grandchildren. 

Laura let out a sad sigh, “I’m just sorry that you didn’t get to live yours.” 

Carmilla chuckled darkly, “The monster doesn’t get the happy ending, you know that, sweetheart.” 

“Carmilla Karnstein, how many times do I have to tell you not to refer to yourself as a monster?” Even bedridden, Laura was fierce, not willing to let something like illness break her spirit. Dragging her eyes up to meet Laura’s, Carmilla nodded. 

“I guess once more,” she flashed a wry grin at the human. “You’ve done so much good in the world. I’m so proud of you.” 

“After I’m gone, I want you to keep up my work. Honor my memory through that, please, Carm.” 

Carmilla bit down on her lip harshly as she nodded, “Of course, Laura. Whatever you want.” 

“Enough of this talk,” Laura flashed her a bright smile, almost unchanged by the years except for the lines bracketing it. “Tell me what’s going on in the world.” 

With a weary smile, Carmilla began to regale Laura with tales of her travels. Laura was a good listener, only interjecting when necessary, gesturing for Carmilla to keep talking. 

As Carmilla was in the midst of telling Laura of her trip to Brazil where she had inadvertently gotten roped into a search for a magical object, Laura began to cough violently. Carmilla rose quickly to fetch Laura a glass of water. 

When she returned, Laura opened her eyes, “Carmilla? Is that you? I never thought I’d see you again,” tears spilled out of Laura’s eyes as Carmilla sat down. “You’re still here. You came back.” 

“Yeah, cupcake.” 

“It’s been so long. So long.” 

“Well, I couldn’t leave you, cupcake. Not when you still owe me another dance.” 

Laura smiled up at her sadly, “We were supposed to go dancing. Before you left. You just disappeared. I always loved you, Carm.” 

“I’ll always love you, Laura,” Carmilla whispered softly, entwining their fingers. Laura laid back and closed her eyes again. “Forever and always, love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so I seem to be trending towards angst. I'm sorry. This was written in kinda a hurry, so please forgive any errors. I'll go back over it when I have time. There are a handful of lines borrowed/modified from Captain America: the Winter Solider. If you've seen it, you may recognize them; if not, it's not a big deal.


End file.
